As a magician, what do you do in your free-time?

[Haelos]

I've found magick practitioners to be some of the most diverse, interesting people. Honestly, we're worthy of an entire field of study.

Being a magician, I've come upon a pretty weird combination of hobbies, and I'm curious if I'm not the only weird one out there.

In life, there are only a few constants for a magician. Mostly; Work, and spiritual Work. You're either finding a way to provide for yourself, or you're causing yourself to progress towards (hopefully) better things. In between those two things, there are so many infinite possibilities, it's astounding.

I'm going to share a list of my mundane hobbies, and I'd like you all to do the same. Please, no magick activities here. Meditation and eating/sleeping as well. Let's see how diverse of a culture we really are.

Personally, my hobbies are pretty expansive.
Lately, I've spent a great deal of time studying and learning about digital technology, and I've taken up Web Development over the past several months. I might even find myself in a career in the field some day. I've always been interested in computers, and I'm only upset I didn't learn to code at an earlier age.
Microchips fucking astonish me, and I seriously can't figure out how they (and in turn computers) actually work. To me, a computer is the highest possible form of physical thaumaturgy available to mankind. I've read a lot of books trying to figure out how a computer does its thing, and after all my studies, the conclusion I've come to is "Freaking magick."

When I'm not learning, and spending my time more leisurely (because, come on.. You can't spend forever on enlightenment) I often play games of skill and chance. Card games are an especial favorite of mine. I've learned all the big TCGs of the 90's, and still play a few, including Magick: The Gathering and Yu-Gii-Oh, though mostly online, these days.
I also play a lot of digital Solitaire. Because, shit. I'm lonely xD
I really enjoy Chess, but I find it really damn hard to find someone willing to play with me. I hate playing Chess in simulators, and no one I know ever has the time.

I also play a couple MMOs, and Pokemon. I'm not super into video games, and I mostly use them as a supplement to practice (ie. Minecraft, with its world-creation. I like the idea of having a unique world to live within, within our own world.)


I occasionally play the guitar, and my girlfriend recently got a nice 12-hole ocarina that I've been practicing on. Otherwise, I'm not as heavily into my music playing as I once was. I've been in a couple bands before, and played some shows publicly, but it isn't so much a passion of mine anymore, and I also only try to progress in music to use it for magick, somehow. Or at least, to broaden my understanding.


I try to read, but I'm not very good at getting into books anymore. I used to read a hell of a lot, but I guess I burned myself out. Writing, as well. I get so tired trying to write, I just decide to spend the extra effort trying to commit information mentally.
I might re-read a few of my old favorites again soon. I just need to grab some physical books. I'm tired of looking at a screen.

I also like long walks around town, late at night, with a slight gut-fear of the unknown pervading my being.

Besides these, relatively few things, I don't do anything of particular note. I indulge in a lot of life-hacking, but really, nothing I do is special. I watch TV, and spend time with my loved ones. I do normal human shit, and feel completely abnormal every second of doing it. I do my best to get by.

Now, I know I won't complete what I need in this lifetime, and I'm okay with that. To fill the void that comes from knowing this, you need to spend a little bit of time back in the ignorant, unenlightened states. We're magicians, for (someone's) sake. The Original Psychonauts. We've traveled through almost every sphere possible, so why is it so needed to keep going up?


Take some effort to yourself, and remember that spiritual progression isn't the only important thing. Take some time to forget.


I'd be very interested to hear some of your mundane hobbies. Please share if you feel willing and up to the task.

[ErebusNamtar]

I paint and draw and that's as far as my art school goes in my life today. I am planning to pick it up more seriously again especially as my current partner is also an artist and, just like me, has a broad range of skills we want to expand further.

I write, from cyberpunk to theological essays. Just to sort out my own thoughts/theories or put down the many worlds and characters roaming my restless mind.

I'm a language nut. I am fluent in five and can dabble in nine and always want to learn more. However I'm now going back to fill in the gaps so to speak.

History, can't get enough of learning about ancient cultures! Same for theology (I actually have a degree in Theology...yeah art school and Theology, random much?).

I'm a table-top miniature game player. Not just historical mind you, also fantasy and sci-fi. Painting miniatures comes with the territory so number one on the list is also included again. Painting...yeah!

I devour books at a staggering rate!

Video-games, not so much anymore but give me a good RPG and I'm hooked. I'm a huge The Elder Scrolls fan and a lore-nut when it comes to that setting.

Web-design, I do this as a living but also as a hobby when the mood strikes me. Design though, the actual programming drives me nuts. I can do it but I'd rather leave it to somebody else.

Long walks in nature and spending as much time as I can with animals. I'm a member of a local bat-group and you'll find me out in the dead of the night with my detector.

I used to play piano, bass guitar and violin but my arthritis kind of killed that. I stopped playing as it hurt too much and I want to save my hands for my art.

[the_spiral]

I'm a long distance runner, teach and practice Ashtanga yoga daily, do a lot of gardening and making herbal remedies from my garden, and I'm also an artist (drawing, painting and assemblage/installation sculpture). I was classically trained as a dancer but I only do that rarely for fun nowadays. And I have quite a few people and animals to care for in addition to grad school and teaching, so in my little "free time" I mostly enjoy solitary hobbies that allow me time to chill and think. I've also been interested in metalwork and jewelry making lately, so thinking of taking a class in that area too!

[corvidus]

I'm also an artist (drawing, painting and assemblage/installation sculpture).

Cool! I love art, especially the art produced by Magicians. If you have a link to your work, I'd love to check it out.

I'm a bit lazy with my hobbies, and recently I've been thinking about getting back into art and music (pencil sketching and guitar). What I do most these days is play video games on my ps4.. usually Destiny or Minecraft.. also looking forward to No Man's Sky, Wild, and Dreams to hit the shelves.

I also enjoy chemistry work and science projects. I'm a big fan of Tesla and Faraday.

I'm a table-top miniature game player. Not just historical mind you, also fantasy and sci-fi. Painting miniatures comes with the territory so number one on the list is also included again. Painting...yeah!

What?! I used to play Warhammer and Warhammer 40k. They're great games!

I really enjoy Chess, but I find it really damn hard to find someone willing to play with me. I hate playing Chess in simulators, and no one I know ever has the time.

I'm in the same boat. Although the university has a chess club here, but I never know where to find them or they play when I'm at work..

[Desecrated]

Ever since I retired I've been busy avoiding death. Something that seems increasingly harder the older you get.

I don't really have a hobby or occupation anymore so I just do smaller projects then and now.
An old house and a young wife gives me enough thinks to tinker with to keep me occupied.

I really like working with herbs and doing potions. I also enjoy mixing the occult with the mundane so I usually have several infusions going at the same time, some are for occult use, some are regular beard oil or spice mixes.

Rehabilitating dogs is something that I end up doing from time to time.
It's not something I actively try to do, but my grandfather was a dog-breeder and my father was a professional hunter, so I've always been around dogs and if I see a dog in need, I just can't help myself. (something that the local rescue group knows perfectly well, and frequently take advantage of)

Online chess, reading and collecting books, watching horrormovies and growing different kinds of facial hair are some other odd time-killers I've taken up over the years.

[EternalReturn]

I was doing a lot of things, taken up a lot of hobbies in my life but only few stuck.

One is writing. I started writing during middle school. I wrote mainly poetry but later I started writing short stories. As a fan of fantasy and science fiction, mainly I wrote that kind of stories. That fueled my love for reading.

I read often and little. When I got new smartphone I instantly switched to e-books and read a fine share of digital lettering.

Music is also a hobby that has been with me. I started as a drummer. When I got to college I couldn't bring drus with me so I focused more on singing as I liked to sing. Today I sing in a band which has great potential and we hope we can succeed in this harsh musical environment. Also I learnt to play irish tin whistle which I lost but got it as a gift few years later from a friend who made it from pvc [greensmile]

Graphic design and drawing were my passions once but I found out that I absolutely suck at perspective and out of frustration I have given it up. It has surfaced few months ago again as I got some part time job making web designs.

[Hadit]

I can't even separate Lovecraft from magic, so no mundane reading almost at all. I love playing video games though, no way around it. Both alone and with other individuals, though I never play anything online. I also like to watch sitcoms from the 90s.

[Hadit]

Between psychology and the occult, I don't really feel I can separate anything out as complete free time though!

[Napoli]

As a practitioner who has just taken her baby steps in this field I read voraciously about any subject occult related even in my free times. Most of the time I am on my PC or mobile reading PDFs, browsing websites, forums and FB groups reading about anything and everything related to this art. Reading is my hobby. When you study the occult you have to acquaint yourself with science, theology, history, philosophy, you name it. But I hope I don't turn out into an armchair occultist.

[RockDemon]

So what do I do when it is not occult related?

Lately, I've spent a great deal of time studying and learning about digital technology, and I've taken up Web Development over the past several months. I might even find myself in a career in the field some day. I've always been interested in computers, and I'm only upset I didn't learn to code at an earlier age.

This sentence is like exactly about me

Also I write music, lyrics, play the guitar.But not so much in recent times as I get into programming.
Playing video-games is another hobby of mine. I mostly enjoy RTS or turn-based strategies (age of empires, age of mythology, Rome total war) and some RPG open world games (The Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, Dragon Age).

[Nahemah]

I don't have much free time these days. [crazy]

I like to research and have a huge collection of amassed folklores and interesting historical facts regarding matters Occult. I'm a History/ Sociology student and I've always been interested in these fields as long as I can recall.

So, yeh, I hobby it too. [crazy]

When I'm not with my grandkids, or doing family stuff...

I occasionally paint and draw, but I most like to get out to the wild places and sit out, whenever I can. No action really, just being in the space.

I'm quite boring and self absorbed, lol.

I like to frequent sleazy pool halls occasionally too. I'm quite the player, when not too drunk. [lol]

[cyberdemon]

Playing video-games is another hobby of mine. I mostly enjoy RTS or turn-based strategies (age of empires, age of mythology, Rome total war) and some RPG open world games (The Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, Dragon Age).

Good games, mmm. Play Fallout 4.

[RockDemon]

Playing video-games is another hobby of mine. I mostly enjoy RTS or turn-based strategies (age of empires, age of mythology, Rome total war) and some RPG open world games (The Elder Scrolls, The Witcher, Dragon Age).

Good games, mmm. Play Fallout 4.

Yeah it's on my list Do you play these games as well?

[Nahemah]

I'm a Destiny widow, lol, but seriously. [greensmile]

I also like to restore old furniture, but haven't worked on anything for ages. I do have a couple of projects that I should finish, but I got too busy with work and studying to keep up with it properly.

It's good to work with my hands and I do enjoy making old dilapidated items functional and pretty once more.